1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to fecal occult blood testing systems.
2. Background
The presence of fecal occult blood, i.e. fecal matter blood, which is not visibly apparent, can indicate various types of illnesses. For example, occult blood can indicate digestive system irritation, growths or polyps in the colon or rectum, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, ulcers, and intestinal infections which cause inflammation. The detection of occult blood is also useful for screening various cancers, particularly colon and colorectal cancers.
There are two known types of occult blood tests for feces: (a) Fecal Occult Blood Testing (FOBT) using a chemical such as guaiac; and (b) Fecal Immunoglobin Testing (FIT) using an antihuman antibody.
For screening purposes, in particular, it is very important to facilitate the detection of occult blood. The ability for patients to test for occult blood on their own—without assistance from a laboratory or a medical professional—can make detection easier. To this end, several attempts have been made to develop testing devices and systems a patient can use in privacy to detect fecal occult blood.
Unfortunately, many traditional home testing devices and systems are not very user-friendly. And many of these devices and systems make proper collection of feces specimens difficult. Some devices, for example, require more precise positioning and sampling of feces specimens. Other devices are used with collection sticks, which are not contained within the testing device. Although, collection sticks are usually sealed before use, it is possible that a patient may contaminate a collection stick before specimen collection occurs. A patient also may inadvertently collect an excess amount of specimen. Traditional testing devices and systems, however, do not provide a way to remove excess specimen before application.
For these reasons, among others, there is a need for improved test systems that detect occult blood in fecal matter. The present invention fulfills this need and provides further related advantages, as described in the following summary.